State of the City

State of the City

The third annual Newport News State of the City address was held on October 20th. This event, hosted by the City of Newport News and the Virginia Peninsula Chamber of Commerce, took place at the Newport News Marriott at City Center. This year’s address was entitled “Tomorrow is Today.” Mayor McKinley Price, on behalf of City Council, addressed a sold-out crowd of community leaders and elected officials from across the entire Hampton Roads area.

Mayor Price challenged the audience to ask themselves what the concept of tomorrow meant to them. He also discussed the growth, innovation and expansion in the business fields with an increasing focus towards science and technology and how the City is preparing its citizens for this bright future. High-profile investment and expansion projects from Canon and Jefferson Lab were highlighted, as well as the City’s continually expanding Tourism and Enterprise Zone programs. Mayor Price also discussed the resulting positive impact that the ongoing focus on the revitalization of the Southeast section of the City has had on the community, as well as identifying challenges and outlining creative solutions. As always, accolades achieved and highly regarded accreditations earned were shared with those in attendance.

City Manager James M. Bourey also provided an update to his Outcome Measure initiative, which was implemented to identify the positive attributes and challenges that the City faces year over year and how to address them in the future to the benefit of all of the citizens of Newport News. Mr. Bourey discussed financial accomplishments and challenges, as well as future financial plans including his continued efforts for collaboration and innovation with City Council, City staff and the citizens of Newport News. All of these serve to illustrate that the City of Newport News is a city of tomorrow, today. For the third consecutive year, the State of the City address was well-received, confirming that Newport News continues to be a place Where Great Things Are Happening.